The Superiority Complication
by Cara meli
Summary: Things get in the way of love all the time, he said. -Complete
1. Chapter 1

"Amy."

"Amy."

"Amy."

As usual, Sheldon stood at the door of Amy's lab and knocked even though she had already seen him. With a small smile, she continued filling up the data tables at her desk and allowed his boyfriend to finish his knocking before acknowledging his presence. It's just one of the quirks that made her love him more.

"Hello, Sheldon. What brought you here?" she asked, looking up at him from her seat.

Sheldon entered the lab, his jaw clenched and his lips tightly pressed together. "I'll get straight to the point," he started, "because unlike our friends who have this inordinate propensity for banal digressions, I'm a straight shooter, which reminds me, did you know…"

"What is it, Sheldon? Can't it wait until later? We're gonna see each other anyway."

Amy cut him off, seeing as he was about to, in fact, digress. She was getting a distinct feeling that he was deliberately trying to delay telling her the purpose of his visit.

"No, it cannot wait. And, no, we're not gonna see each other later."

"Why not? Is there an emergency in videogame land again? Someone needs saving?' she teased.

"No."

Sheldon breathed in deeply and struggled to look her straight in the eye.

"I think we need to end this relationship." He said, barely pausing for air.

She stared at him blankly, remembering that she had heard those words before. She could see that he was upset and did not want to aggravate his state, so, despite herself, she replied—

"Okay."

Sheldon closed his eyes and swallowed with difficulty. "Good." He then lifted his chin, feigning indifference, as he pulled out his tablet and added, "You know the drill. Just sign with your finger. And don't cry on my Ipad, I still don't have Apple care."

Still a little dazed from what was happening, Amy mechanically grabbed the tablet and signed her name. She glanced at the document to buy her time to gather her thoughts and compose herself. She sighed; whatever this is, I'm sure it'll pass, she thought as she returned the device to her now and very first ex-boyfriend.

"Thank you, Amy," he said, lingering at her door.

"Do you mind telling me what's all this about? Don't you love me anymore?" she asked.

Sheldon walked closer and looked down at her, once again assuming the role of the proud, unaffected man. He would have preferred a more clever answer to her question but all he came up with was—

"Oh, I do. You are the love of my life," he gulped after realizing what he just blurted out. To redeem himself and stand his ground about their separation, he added, "but clearly I am too advanced for this kind of things."

"I don't understand," Amy frowned.

"Exactly," he said with a condescending tone. "I have contemplated the possible scenarios that this relationship would go through and its eventual consequences on both of us. And, unfortunately, I arrived at the rock solid conclusion that there will come a time that your understanding of my abilities will run out and we will inevitably go our separate ways. So, before that happens, I wisely thought that we should speed it up, skip the brouhaha and all that drama, and go right to the ending. I'm actually doing both of us a favor as this is clearly a waste of our precious time."

In her head, Amy's posing a lot of objections to Sheldon's glaringly flawed arguments. But ever the patient person that she was, she held her peace and instead asked him to elaborate.

"So, you're saying I will cease to understand you? That I will lose patience with you? And that will end our relationship?"

"Yes. But that is not the only reason, there are two people in this relationship, Amy," he said.

"There used to be two people," she corrected him, her hurt seeping out a little.

"Right," he said, taken aback by her words, "What I'm saying is the things you are hoping for, those lovey-dovey things that you crave so badly, they are beneath me. And frankly, I can't…I mean, I find myself unwilling to engage in them."

"Well, you've done a lot already if you ask me."

"Yeah," his said, staring distantly into space, as if remembering the things they did together.

"To be honest, Sheldon, I'm a little offended that you would think so little of my ability to wait and understand you," she countered.

"That's not what I think of you at all. Next to me, you're the most patient and understanding person I know. Hmmm, how do I say this? Let's see," he paused. "I believe the classic line is: it's not you, it's me," he declared, distracted and a little proud that he remembered the words.

"What about love then?" she continued.

"Yes, what about it?" he said, confused and really just out of sorts.

"We love each other. What are we going to do about that?"

Sheldon sighed, "Wow, we're really covering all the clichés now, aren't we?"

"Trust me, cliché is one word I would never use to describe this relationship," she snorted. "Well?"

"As the relationship of my parents show, things get in the way of love all the time. In their case, it's religion and alcohol. In ours, it's science and superior intellects. It's clearly insufficient to bind people in the long run. Or, in the parlance of romantic movies, sometimes love," he shrugged. "It just isn't enough."

At that point, Amy was already a bit mad. She could not figure out where all this came from and Sheldon appeared very insistent that they severe their bond. She could see through his tough guy pretense though and while she's not the type who easily gives up, a teeny tiny part of her was tempted to consider his argument. He could be right, she thought.

Anyway, whatever her thoughts were, it was already done.

"For a straight shooter, you sure do talk a lot," she said.

"You're the one who kept asking questions, little lady," he said, the sadness evident in his voice. They had stretched their conversation long enough.

"You could've walked out of here the moment I handed you that Ipad."

"Yes," was his simple answer. "Are we going to shake hands on this or not?" He asked although it is not something he normally does.

"Certainly." Amy said as she stood out and extended her hand to him.

"Good bye, Amy Farrah Fowler."

"Goodbye, Sheldon Lee Cooper."

They shook hands, looked at each other for a brief, charged moment and then left each other's company.

* * *

><p><em>I know. The Shamy is in a happy place right now; I just want to get this out of my system. It will be a short one so happy thoughts.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

He could've taken a ride home with Leonard but that night Sheldon chose to stay over time in his office. He just didn't feel like talking to his chatty roommate. So, he sat there and stared at his white board, hoping to get some things done. He did that for a good two hours, until finally, he walked out of the university dejectedly and took the bus home.

"Hello," Leonard greeted him, when he entered their apartment. "It's late. Did you and Amy do something interesting tonight?"

"We did something interesting earlier," he said grimly. "But that wasn't the reason I was late. I took the bus home."

This piqued Leonard's concern. "Why? What happened?"

He paused to arrange his things at his desk, then turned to Leonard, "I just felt like mingling with the common men today, you know. As usual, I had a lot of discoveries on my way home. For instance, how many chewing gum you can find at the back of the seats, on the window, the armrest, the floor, the ceiling…well, basically, they're everywhere, Leonard," he said, his voice a mixture of disgust, wonder, and sadness. He stretched his lips to smile but that proved to be an ordeal, so he ended up giving Leonard one of his more creepy faces.

"No. What I meant was what happened with you and Amy?"

Sheldon sighed; he'd have to tell him at some point. As he prepared to narrate their lab conversation, Penny came storming into their apartment.

"What the hell, Sheldon! You broke up with Amy?!" his fake blonde neighbor said, marching her way towards him.

"What?!" Leonard said.

Sheldon was startled and disturbed by their reactions. "Good lord, people! What's with all the shouting?" he blurted out, almost shouting himself.

Penny turned to her boyfriend. "Yeah, he said he was too advanced for her."

"No," he corrected her. "What I said was I am too advanced for the kind of things that she wants. Frankly, both of us are." He shook his head disapprovingly. "Now, don't you feel silly reacting that way when you had the wrong information."

Penny tried to temper her anger. She breathed in deeply, sat down beside Leonard and squeezed his arm to defuse her emotions. "No, I get it Sheldon!"

"Then, I don't need to explain myself further. You know I am too much for Amy."

"Yeah, you got that right. You are too much for anyone really," she said, her nails digging at Leonard's arm. "You are a handful." Leonard grimaced a little from the pain but still nodded in agreement.

Sheldon looked curiously at her, his forehead creasing in contemplation. "I am, aren't I? which is why I think we made the right choice. Now she's free to go look for someone more worthy of her, someone who will not struggle in giving her the intimacy that she wants." He paused and walk towards the kitchen. "She's the most wonderful woman there is. And I know she doesn't have a shortage of admirers either so she won't be alone for long. Not with the likes of Kripke, Bert, Stuart, and those biologists swarming around her all the time like insects, it'll make you think they have nothing better to do than waste their time on entomology."

"Oh, my God. You're scared." Penny said, as realization hit her. "There's no superiority complex here at all. You're insecure and in denial."

"I. Am. Not," he said emphatically.

"And there's your evidence," Leonard told Penny.

"You're one hell of a coward, Sheldon," Penny said after she calmed down a bit. "Don't tell me you're going to make yourself a robot to replace Amy."

"Oh, last time, he got cats." Leonard butted in. "Don't you dare, Sheldon."

Sheldon glared at them. "Don't be absurd. Amy is irreplaceable. And this is the last time we are going to talk about her. I forbid the two of you and all our friends to bring up Amy's name. I'll send you an email notification but the rule takes effect, " he looked at his watch, "right now." He opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

After a few moments, Leonard asked him, "so, what are you thinking?"

Placing the bottle at the table, he looked towards them and said: "Amy."

"Oh, Leonard! I told you not to bring her name up!" he added childishly.

"You're the one who brought her up," his roommate replied.

"Because you asked me. Of course, I am thinking about Amy. Who else will I be thinking of? Darn it, now you did it again!" he said and stomped his way to his bedroom.

"Unbelievable." Leonard shook his head and turned to Penny, who had now relaxed on the couch. "So, how long before we intervene?"

"How long?" Penny said. "Honey, I don't think this, whatever this is, is gonna last long."

The following night, Amy hosted girls' night at the apartment. Penny and Bernadette kept their eyes on her, gauging her emotions throughout.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bernadette asked her as they settled in her living room.

"Oh, I'm fine. I finished tons of work today. Without Sheldon bothering me, I got more time for science. I'm two months ahead of schedule in analyzing my research data and it's only been two nights!"Amy said, with a smile on her face that's far too wide to be comfortable.

"Sweetie, you don't have to put a brave face for us," Penny said, echoing what Amy told her a few years ago.

"No, bestie. I'm over it. I'm, uh, moving on," she shrugged, with too much effort her shoulders almost touched her ears. "Just think about it," Amy continued, her voice higher, trying to sound more excited. "I now have an ex-boyfriend. How cool is that?"

Bernadette looked at her, nodding slowly, and raised her glass. "Y-yeah. Cool."

"Yes. Now, when my girlfriends start talking about their exes I actually have something to contribute," she said.

"Girlfriends. You mean us." Penny said.

"Yes. And random girls, too. Like those ladies gabbing at restrooms about the men they left, who are still crazy about them. And my colleagues, who keep talking about their divorce and their ex-husbands and their faulty settlements…I now have an experience to share."

Penny took a large gulp of her drink and answered, "So, should we talk about our exes now, Amy?"

"Sure. I'm so excited! This is so new for me!" she said, adjusting her skirt. She picked up her purse, opened her compact for full effect, and started puffing her face as if she's in the ladies room. "Alrightie. Let me tell you about my ex and I'm telling you all your exes will fail in comparison."

"Huh, I agree," Bernadette remarked sarcastically.

"He's smart, handsome, and full of surprises. He struggles but he does things for me even when it's uncomfortable to him," she said, dreamily. "He's tall, pale, and has those…" she paused, sighed and swallowed hard preventing her voice from breaking. "…those thin, beckoning lips that's only mine to kiss."

Amy drifted off for a while and closed her eyes, shaking the thoughts away. "Okay. That one's something that I should probably not do again." She cleared her throat, "maybe we should not talk about it while it's still, you know, fresh. Rule for the night: no talk of exes. The name Sheldon and the hundred plus names of your former flings are not allowed in this apartment tonight. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Bernadette said, heaving a sigh of relief. She had been tensed throughout since she thought Amy was going to cry and crying reminded her so much of children and she definitely did not want to lose her temper on her hurting friend that night.

"Just so we're clear, we're not allowed to ask who and what you're thinking about tonight, right?" Penny inquired as she laid down her wine glass.

"Yes! Good one, Penny," Amy said, feigning happiness.

Bernadette turned to Penny and said, "Yeah, that's a good one. Very sensitive and insightful."

"Well, you know me. Sensitive is what I am," she replied proudly. "Plus, I had the same experience last night with Sheldon." Penny realized her mistake the moment the name came out of his mouth.

"Penny!" Amy said and marched off into her room.

"Yep. That same experience," Penny said, "this is day 2 right?"

Bernadette looked at her, "yes, technically it's the second night but for the sake of our counting. Yeah, this is day two…To be honest, I kinda feel like it isn't right for us to bet on our friends' relationship."

"You started it!" Penny said, slightly amused. "I think it shows our faith in them. I mean, none of us put our money on this breakup lasting for over a week. If it goes over that, I'm sure we're all ready to intervene 'cause, well, by then Sheldon's probably ruining all our lives already."

"Hmm…you're right I guess. Now, let's go put some smile back on that unsettling face," Bernadette said and walked towards Amy's bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Sheldon knocked at Penny's door early morning the next day, carrying a large box.

"Sheldon! You know I don't wake up at six," Penny said.

"I'm sorry. Though for the record, you don't look like your awake now," he replied.

She yawned and stretched a little to increase her ability to process whatever craziness Sheldon had in store for her that day. "What is it?"

"I want you to take these off my hands," he said, giving her the large box. "Per Cosmo's guide to breakup, I should burn everything that reminds me of my relationship with she-who-must-not-be-named. Now, there is more to come but these are the most important."

"I don't understand. You want me to burn them?" she asked, wishing desperately for coffee.

"No. You can keep them or give them to A—uhm she-who-must-not-be-named. Burning them will be a waste of money and trust me many of those items are priceless."

"Fine," she muttered. "I will give this to A—"

Sheldon raised his hand "Sssss..give it to she-who-must-not-be-named. Thank you."

"Okay, Sheldon. " Penny rolled her eyes and took the box. "Whoa. Look at that, this is just a box full of Amy," she said, as she closed the door to a wide-eyed Sheldon.

* * *

><p>The day passed by quickly for Sheldon. He buried himself in his equations, although he had to pause several times as he discovered that his zone was slowly being invaded with thoughts of a cute, bespectacled neurobiologist. One time, he felt that even his white board was taunting him when instead of the formula he intended to write, the letters of her name were what materialized on his writing space.<p>

He went to bed earlier than usual for he found that he somehow lacked the energy to do other activities. After hours of tossing and turning, he gave up and got out of bed, knowing what he had to do to help him sleep.

"Penny."

"Penny."

"Penny."

Sheldon said as he knocked on her bedroom wall, just above her headboard. And just like before, Penny woke up, screaming.

"Sheldon! I swear to God one of these days, I'm gonna sleep with a scarecrow beside my bed," she said, fuming. "What is it, you big weirdo?" She wanted to berate him further but stopped herself when he saw his appearance. He looked terrible. His eyes were puffy and swollen, his hair sticking out in all directions, his pajama and robe slightly disheveled.

"I'm sorry," he said, in a barely audible voice. "I didn't want to wake you but I've been looking all over your apartment and I still couldn't find it."

If he was in a different condition, Penny would've gotten mad by the fact that he searched her apartment without her permission again. But Sheldon was very different that night and she could tell that it's only a matter of time before he breaks down. He was trembling and almost begging her for help.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, getting out of bed.

"The box."

"What box?" she pressed on, seeing that he was dazed and struggling to talk.

"My boxful of Amy," he said, quietly.

Her heart melted at the sight of him. "Oh, Sheldon. I was going to give it to her tomorrow. But, here you go," she said and pulled the box from under her bed.

Without further ado, Sheldon grabbed the box from her. He sat down on the floor of her bedroom and opened the box like a desperate child on Christmas morning. He pulled out the bear Amy gave him, held it with both hands and stared at it, with a whole range of emotions in his eyes.

Penny was about to say something when she heard a knock on her door. "Really? It's the middle of the night." She took one glance at Sheldon and went out to see who was at her door.

Sheldon seemed to have forgotten his surroundings the moment he saw the box. After a few seconds of looking at the teddy bear, he brought it closer to his chest and hugged it tightly as if protecting it from someone trying to steal it away from him. He brought his nose at the top of his head and gasped as he started crying and laughing at the same time.

Soon, the laugh vanished and he was full-on crying on the bedroom floor while clutching a teddy bear like his life depended on it.

As Penny opened the door, she saw that Amy was not doing any better. She was in her nightgown with a plaid robe over it, her eyes, hair in the same condition as Sheldon's. From her appearance, Penny gleaned that her bestie drove all the way to her apartment right after getting out of an unsuccessful attempt at sleeping.

Before Penny could speak, Amy beat her to it.

"I broke it," she wailed. "I…broke…it," she said, in between sobs.

"Oh, Amy," Penny said, her heart breaking for the couple. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked as she steered her to the couch.

Amy sat down on the couch and showed her what she'd been holding on to her chest when she came in. It was the frame that Sheldon gave her for Christmas.

"It won't play his voice anymore," she cried. "I played it over and over these past nights and now I can't hear his voice anymore. I can't sleep."

Her crying intensified. "Sweetie, breathe," Penny reminded her.

"I…am…breathing, just…," she said, gasping for air, "I won't hear his voice anymore, Penny."

Penny let out a heavy breath and realized that there are tears in her eyes as well. "Oh yes you will," she said, as she walked to her bedroom, "Hang in there."

When she entered her bedroom, he saw Sheldon in the same condition. She shook her head at the amount of drama that's starting to consume her night. "Sheldon," she said, softly at first. When he didn't flinch from his position, she shouted at him. "Sheldon!"

This caught Sheldon's attention. He looked up at her and before he knew it, he was being dragged to the living room by Penny.

"There's the love of your life," Penny exclaimed, gesturing towards Amy.

Amy turned to look at them.

"The two of you should stop feeling sorry for yourselves," Penny continued and sniffed. "Fix this." She walked out of her apartment and banged the door, leaving Sheldon and Amy inside. "God, I need to sleep," Penny muttered to herself, as she wiped the tears in her eyes and knocked on Leonard's door, confident that everything will be fine in the morning.

* * *

><p>A heavy silence engulfed the apartment after Penny left. Sheldon sat on a stool in the kitchen while Amy remained seated on the couch. Apart from their sniffs, the two remained completely silent for minutes.<p>

Sheldon held on to the stuffed toy as he wept silently. His eyes fixed on Amy, trying to take in as much detail of her as he can: her hair, her clip, her neck, even the detail of her plaid robe. He wanted so badly to get close to her, to sit beside her like before, but his feet were heavy with fear and despair.

Amy was acutely aware of Sheldon's gaze and wanted nothing more but to run to him but, like Sheldon, she was terrified and hurt. And so, she remained on her seat and stared at the picture of him on her lap in that frame that won't play his voice anymore.

A few more minutes passed with neither of them making a move, until Amy, certain that she already had her emotions under control got up and walked towards the door.

With her back to him, Amy didn't really see Sheldon that long. She glanced at him briefly when Penny dragged him but she just couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was about to open the door, when she heard him speak.

"Please don't leave me." it was barely a whisper but it was enough to make her face him. And the look he gave her shattered her to pieces.

He was breathing hard, trying to control his crying. His left hand was on the teddy bear while the other was rubbing furiously at his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from falling.

A small smile crept into Amy's face while her eyes started to feel heavy. _How could anyone look miserable and absolutely adorable at the same time?_ She thought. But she was quickly pulled out of her reverie when she noticed that his breathing began sounding more labored.

"I'm…sorry," he gasped as he put his entire right arm to cover his eyes in his last attempt to control himself.

"Sheldon, please" she said, as she started walking towards him. "breathe."

"I…am…breathing," he said and looked up to see that she was in front of him.

And just like that, he was undone; the urgency to do the things he thought he couldn't do flooded his senses. He was bursting with love for her and, against it, the previously deafening fear became a barely audible hum.

He dropped the stuffed toy and, with his now free arms, pulled Amy into him, clinging tightly onto her waist. The action caught Amy by surprised but when she felt his trembling arms around her, she responded and put her arms around his shoulders.

They held each other for a long time. Sheldon gradually relaxed into his seat and, with his head on her chest, felt his breathing come back to normal.

"I'm not a teddy bear, you know," she teased while stroking his hair. He smiled, the first real one he had in the past three days.

He looked up at her. And, when at last their eyes met, words were somehow no longer necessary.


	4. Chapter 4

Amy gently pushed Sheldon to get out of his firm grip but he just held her more tightly. "We're gonna have to move at some point, Sheldon."

"I don't want to. Besides, I'm only starting to get the hang of this," he said stubbornly, remaining solidly on his seat in Penny's kitchen.

"Well, mister, I need to get us some water otherwise we'll get dehydrated what with all that crying earlier," she said, "What a crybaby."

"Whoa," he looked up, still clinging to her waist, "listen up, if you tell anyone, colleagues, family, our friends, even our children that, I will deny it vehemently."

"Doesn't matter, I have a witness," she said, playing with his messy hair.

"That witness will tell on you too," he said as he finally released her.

She walked to the fridge, got two bottles of water, and handed one to Sheldon. She watched with fascination as he emptied the bottle in one go while his eyes were fixed on her as if afraid he was going to lose sight of her. He dropped the bottle on the floor as soon as it was empty and pulled her again into his arms. This time they were standing up.

"I'm not complaining or anything but I am not going anywhere, Sheldon. You are being clingy, literally," she said.

"I'm quite good at this, aren't I?" he said, beaming proudly at her. "Why? Am I suffocating you? And I meant that literally and figuratively."

"No, on both counts. But I do have to pick that bottle up. We disturbed Penny enough already," she said.

He let her go and moved to the couch. "Why bother? This place is unsanitary as it is. A bottle is not going to do it more harm," he said, gesturing at the things on the floor of Penny's living room. "Speaking of which, may I interest you in…ahm…in an unsanitary activity?"

Amy squinted at him as she picked up the bottle and threw it in the trash can.

"In an activity that only lovers do," he said, suggestively raising his eyebrows.

"Like cleaning the house together?" Amy asked.

"No," he said, frustrated.

"I'm just kidding. I know exactly what you mean," she laughed and shot him a dirty look. "I thought you're too advanced for those kinds of things."

"I am. And I intend to show you just how advanced I am at that," he said and winked at her.

When Penny and Leonard walked into the apartment the next morning, Sheldon and Amy are nowhere to be found. The other couple was worried not knowing what the result of the night's confrontation was. Penny called Amy's mobile phone and was genuinely surprised when Sheldon answered.

"Where's Amy?" she asked.

"Oh, she's beneath me," he said.

"You're still on that? Listen to me, you are not too advanced for Amy though she's probably too advanced for you," she retorted.

"Hmm, now I'm beneath her."

"Exactly."

"No. I meant she's on top of me. We just rolled over," he said.

Penny's jaw dropped as she heard Amy giggling in the background just before the Sheldon hang up.

Leonard looked at her questioningly. She was about to talk when he received a call from Sheldon. It was a video call. When they answered, the video showed Amy literally on top of Sheldon, although only up to their shoulders were visible on the screen. Both were wearing the robes they wore the night before but they were obviously not wearing anything underneath.

"Hey, bestie," Amy said. "Guess what we had for breakfast."

"Whoa, too much information, Sweetie," she said, gave her a weird look, and ended the call.

"So, they patched things up already. That's great," Leonard said, smiling. "Too bad our bet was day 2."

"Yeah," Penny said. "I'm surprised it lasted three days. I honestly thought they'd be back together on the second day. Oh,well."

Leonard glanced down at his cellphone, realizing that Sheldon just texted him. He read it aloud for Penny to hear—

"Sheldon said: Give Raj our congratulations and tell him he's paying for our next date night. That's right, we knew about the bets."

In Amy's apartment, meanwhile, Sheldon placed the phone at the bedside table and pulled the blankets up. "I still don't know what Penny meant by too much information. She drinks alcohol all the time," he said.

"Maybe she hasn't checked her apartment yet. I'm telling you, she's bound to notice that missing Sauvignon Blanc in her kitchen," Amy said.

Unlike Sheldon, she knew exactly what Penny meant because, of course, they had more than Sauvignon Blanc for breakfast. She smiled at the memory and wondered how it happened that many of their firsts happened as a result of those past three days: first heart break, first night, first make up sex, first morning after sex, and, with a high probability, first shower sex. And with that thought, she closed her eyes and felt Sheldon kiss the top of her head just before she fell back to sleep.

END


End file.
